Twins GM Ryan takes a step toward recovery

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Twins General Manager Terry Ryan has been discharged from the Mayo Clinic following cancer surgery on Tuesday, the club announced Friday. Ryan headed home in Eagan to continue his recovery.

Ryan remains out indefinitely. With pitchers and catchers set to report on Sunday, it’s possible that he could miss all of spring training. “We’re just keeping our fingers crossed that he has a speedy recovery and can return as soon as possible,” assistant GM Rob Antony said.

Antony will assume Ryan’s duties but will lean on an experienced front office staff that includes player personnel head Mike Radcliffe and special assistant to the GM Wayne Krivsky.

On Monday, Ryan, 60, announced that he had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his neck.

Surgery was successful and doctors were confident that the cancer had not spread. Because of that, Ryan will need radiation treatments and not chemotherapy.

Righthander Mike Pelfrey was pleased to hear that Ryan’s surgery went well.

“I saw that everyone is optimistic, which is good,” Pelfrey said. “Hopefully, they get it taken care of. Terry is the most intelligent baseball man I’ve ever been around and an even better person. He’s going to be missed and I think we all have unconditional support for him.”

Fregosi ‘larger than life’

The baseball community is mourning the loss of Jim Fregosi after he suffered several strokes earlier this week while on a cruise with other baseball alumni.

Fregosi was a six-time All-Star as a player and managed the Angels, White Sox, Phillies and Blue Jays. Most recently, he was a scout with clout for the Braves.

Fregosi, 71, was perhaps the most popular scout in the league, often holding court in pressboxes and dining rooms.

“You showed up at the beginning of a series and saw him, you knew you were going to have a good four or five days,” said Krivsky, a friend of Fregosi’s. “You just hoped you were staying at the same hotel he was.”

Krisvky had a great relationship with Fregosi and took the news hard.

“He was very smart in so many other ways,” Krivsky said. “Investments or stocks or pension plans.

“He was like the Godfather, you could go to him about anything and he would help you. A tremendous human being. Very generous, larger-than-life personality, a storyteller.”

Early arrivals

Twins position players don’t have to report until Friday, but several have popped up at informal workouts this week, including Aaron Hicks, Trevor Plouffe, Chris Parmelee, Jason Bartlett, Brian Dozier and Darin Mastroianni.

Former Gopher Kyle Knudson, a nonroster invitee to camp, showed up in the clubhouse on Friday after driving 30 hours from the Twin Cities.

That trip took three hours longer than last year because Knudson ran into the storm that hit the southeastern U.S. this week.